HOW NEW IS YOUR WARDROBE REALLY?

By Abigail Isherwood

Most of us have experienced walking into a highstreet clothes shop, through the big glass doors into the air conditioned room full of rows and rows of textures and colours. This is usually accompanied by a sense of newness, but when we pick out a pair of jeans, it hasn’t just appeared on the shelf out of thin air. It has come from somewhere, it’s made of something, by someone. The fashion industry, the way that pair of jeans gets to the shelves in the first place, has an incredibly large impact on the world. Did you know that:

  1. Textile production contributes more to climate change than international aviation and shipping combined and the fashion industry is responsible for 8% of carbon emissions.

  2. Three out of five fast fashion items end up in a landfill.

  3. Washing, solvents, and dyes used in manufacturing are responsible for one-fifth of industrial water pollution and fashion accounts for 20 to 35 percent of microplastic flows into the ocean

  4. The textile sector still represents 10 to 20 percent of pesticide use. and the fashion industry is projected to use 35% more land for fibre and textile produce by 2030, further threatening biodiversity.

  5. Forced, bonded, and child labour are all forms of modern slavery that are prevalent within the fashion industry.

  6. 93% of brands surveyed by the Fashion Checker aren’t paying garment workers a living wage.

We know that fast fashion is unsustainable and we desperately need change in the industry as a whole. We need everyone to act, from policymakers, industry leaders, and retailers, to us, the consumers. Although we may feel powerless, individual action can make a difference.

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So what can we do? Jennifer Darmo from Good On You says that “by thinking of the garments we wear as short term tools rather than long term investments, we contribute to wasteful consumption patterns that inevitably lead us towards drastic climate change”. One of the first things I do to get out of this ‘short-term’ mindset is to remember that whatever I am buying isn’t really new. It was grown, picked, sewn, dyed, transported and packaged long before it arrived at my door. It has gone through a process and contributed to a system that results in the heavy impact demonstrated above.  

Just as one item of clothing contributes to a huge impact, you, as a human being with a voice, have a huge impact too! Especially when combining your voice and action with the action of others. Because we are not living in isolation from each other, despite the year we have just had. We have an incredible power and impact on the people and the world around us. And when we put our mind to something together, when we decide that it’s time for us to change, it truly can change. 

So when we’ve just heard that the IPCC report is calling the climate crisis a code red for humanity, and we’re probably feeling overwhelmed, helpless and a thousand other emotions that come when facing this crisis, let’s remember that we don’t have to do this alone. We can surround ourselves with people and voices who inspire us to keep going. The people who help us change our shopping habits for the better, who remind us how to stop supporting fast fashion, and keep us feeling creative and excited about the new sustainable lifestyle that we are building together. 

Now more than ever is the time to lean on each other and find those little sparks of hope that drive us to take the next step forward.

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GOOD SUSTAINABLE HABITS FOR 2021

By Abigail Isherwood

 We’re all ready to see the end of 2020 and breathe a sigh of relief as we head into 2021. Having learnt so much this year, including the importance of caring for our planet, many of us are heading into 2021 with very little energy or motivation, rather than feeling ready for action. So, instead of making big new year’s resolutions, here are 5 easy, no-pressure, eco-friendly habits to take into 2021 that will help you on your journey to further sustainability.

2. Shop local

This year has certainly taught us the importance of our communities. Supporting local businesses is a great way to give back to the community - and it’s better for the planet as local businesses tend to have much smaller carbon footprints. Why not find an independent coffee shop in your area that could become your new regular outlet?

4. Keep learning

Whether you’ve learnt how to take more of a stand against racism, how to be more eco-friendly, or even just learnt how to make sourdough, you’ve no doubt learnt more about yourself this year, so let’s keep it up! As we go into 2021 let us continue to think of more ways we can keep learning, perhaps joining an anti-racism book club, starting a new course online, or scheduling in some time to watch David Attenborough or other videos on climate action. Get family and friends involved too to keep you going, keep learning with self-awareness, and don’t expect yourself to always keep up the momentum on your own. Sometimes we just need a rest.

1. Become Climate Positive with Ecologi

Ecologi is a brilliant environmental subscription service where each month your money goes into tree planting and climate solution projects. You also get a fun, interactive profile where you can watch your virtual forest grow. This is a low cost and effective way to do some good for the planet each month. Ecologi also has a new gifting feature, perfect for those last-minute gifts!

 

3. Connect with nature for your mental health

Many of us have learnt to really appreciate regular walks in nature this year. Maybe you’ve even found some new outdoor spaces in your local area. Spending time in nature has tons of mental health benefits, and it also reminds us how important local green spaces are. A great habit to maintain during 2021 is this appreciation of nature through daily walks and time spent outdoors.

 5. Diet

This Christmas, more and more Brits are serving a fully vegan Christmas dinner. Veggie and vegan alternatives to meat and dairy are becoming even more common, so challenging yourself to eat less meat and dairy is getting a little easier. You could push yourself and try Veganuary this year. You could just try meat-free Mondays, or maybe it’s as simple as choosing the vegetarian or vegan option on the menu. It’s all about the small, personal steps we can take.

 

2020 has continually challenged us to think outside of the box. We’ve changed how we shop, work, exercise, entertain ourselves and spend time with family. Many parts of this year we can’t wait to see the end of, but there are habits and lifestyle changes that we have made that are good for us and good for the planet, so we should all try to continue to adhere to those positive changes. Continue having meetings online, for example, so you can cut out the commute and lower the emissions. Or maybe you’ve got a bit better at meal planning this year and you’ve managed to cut down on your food waste. There are tons of little habits that we’ve picked up this year that would be great for us to maintain as we head into 2021. Let’s not let ourselves be limited to just getting ‘back to normal’, let’s take some simple, small steps and push ourselves to make things better.

Abigail Isherwood

Abigail Isherwood

CLIMATE ACTION - TO INSPIRE OR TO BLAME THAT IS THE QUESTION

By Abigail Isherwood

“Every time you spend money, you're casting a vote for the kind of world you want.” - Anna Lappe

This quote occasionally pops up on social media with the intention of inspiring us. But recently, some members of the climate activism community have been highlighting how it overly emphasises the individual, thus shifting responsibility and blame away from the world’s largest businesses and companies. Blame often emerges when talking about responsibility, and we sometimes think of them as the same. But trying to figure out where blame lies, as well as where responsibility lies, is a huge and complex discussion. On a personal level, adding the narrative of blame into discussions of climate action can be quite paralysing, so, instead of empowering us to act, we will often switch off, or at worst get defensive.

There is a debate in the literature between two powerhouse women, Iris Marion Young and Martha Nussbaum, about responsibility and blame. Young argues that blame is unhelpful when talking about responsibility for structural injustices. She thinks blame focuses on individual countries, people, or businesses, instead of looking at the whole structure. Blame, she argues, makes people defensive, which is an unhelpful and counterproductive response when trying to tackle the injustice. Nussbaum however thinks differently. She believes that if we use blame well, it can be a strong motivator and can lead us to important and sincere self-reflection. For Nussbaum, blame can be a powerful and useful tool for inspiring important and necessary action. The key takeaway here is that both Young and Nussbaum are seeking ways to inspire action in the face of structural injustice, i.e. action inspiring responsibility.

Perhaps the answer to how we can best use our responsibility for the climate crisis is to embrace it when it empowers us and ignore that which leaves us feeling paralysed. Some of us may find the emphasis on individual spending habits empowering and action-inspiring. Others may be skeptical and would prefer to use their energy to hold large corporations to account. Some will find talking about blame paralysing, whereas others may find it a powerful driving force. Using our responsibility well could just be about discovering what we, as individuals, find action inspiring.

Or maybe we can change that.

So, if we feel paralysed, we could feel all that fear, grief, hopelessness, or numbness, but then take the time to reflect, learn, meditate, connect with others, cry, do whatever it is we need to do, and eventually turn that paralysis into action. We can be intentional, we can be reflective, we can build support networks and communities that help us transform our fear and numbness into action. So that whether we find ourselves feeling empowered or paralysed, both instances lead to an opportunity to do something about it. It’s not a case of embracing the empowering and discarding the paralysing, but instead figuring out how to do our best in both situations.

So whether we feel blamed, inspired, paralysed, or empowered, let’s embrace the opportunity that the responsibility for the climate crisis offers. Let's be intentional in our reaction to responsibility, and start viewing responsibility as an invitation to act.

Abigail Isherwood

Abigail Isherwood

Further Reading

Nussbaum, M. (2009). ‘Iris Young’s last thoughts on responsibility for global justice’, in Ferguson A. and Nagel, M. (eds) Dancing with Iris: The Philosophy of Iris Marion Young. New York; Oxford University Press, 133-145.

Young, I. (2006a). Responsibility and global justice: a social connection model. Social Philosophy and Policy. Cambridge University Press, 23 (1), 102-130.